Editor’s note: This is issue 43 of Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak’s weekly "Ukraine Reforms Tracker" covering events from Jan. 1–Jan. 12, 2026. The digest highlights steps taken in the Ukrainian parliament related to business, economics, and international financial programs. IMF benchmarks and soft commitments Ukraine moves forward in competition for customs head On Jan. 17, Ukraine will hold the first stage of an open competition to select the next head of the State Customs Service.

"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," Trump said.

The embassy said it would provide further updates on the resumption of activities and any additional measures.

Editor's note: This article is a shortened on-site version of KI Insights' public newsletter, The Week Ahead, covering events from January 19-25. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events delivered directly to your inbox every week. The World Economic Forum in Davos will take place from January 19 to 23. The most anticipated moment for Ukraine will be a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the forum, alongside the signing of an $

In this exclusive interview, the Kyiv Independent’s Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces' officer who helps organize resistance movements in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.

Around 55% of Ukrainians support holding a referendum on a potential peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, while 32% oppose this idea, according to the poll.

Panic attacks have haunted Ukrainian serviceman Yaroslav since he returned home in the summer, leaving him gasping at night. Frustration with his commanders drove the 33-year-old to go absent without leave (AWOL), joining a growing number of Ukrainian soldiers who have left their units without permission. For Yaroslav, then a deputy platoon commander, it began with what he described as his leadership's "indifference" to soldiers' lives. Yaroslav said his command kept ordering missions that, in

Ukraine hopes to gain more clarity on "documents that we have actually drafted with the American side, and regarding Russia's response to all this diplomatic work," Zelensky said.

China's electricity purchases from Russia were suspended on Jan. 1 due to higher export prices that now exceed domestic Chinese rates, Kommersant reported.

This is Kollen Post reporting from Kyiv on day 1,423 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Finland is sending Ukraine another 98 million euros worth of weaponry, the Finnish Defense Ministry announced on Friday. "We have built a package on an accelerated schedule that helps meet the most critical needs of the moment," the announcement said. The package falls outside of the regular schedule of Finnish aid, which has been among the most generous in the world relative t

Czech President Petr Pavel and President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss ways "to advance our strategic partnership, defense cooperation, and peace efforts," said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Ex-Prime Minister Yuliia Tymoshenko is also obliged to appear in court when summoned and cannot leave Kyiv Oblast.

The announcement confirming the damage to the facility's production capacity was posted by the Navy on Jan. 16, after the SBU first reported the strike three days earlier.

Putin said Russia is ready to serve as a mediator in the Middle East, an offer that follows signals that the U.S. might launch strikes against Iran amid a deadly crackdown on protests.

"In 2025 (...) growth was supported by domestic trade, construction, (...) the production of defense products and metallurgy," Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine's economy minister, said in a press release.

Ukraine is loosening curfew restrictions to allow citizens to reach humanitarian aid centers even at nighttime, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

The change works to solve Kyiv's heavy dependence on the U.S. for military intelligence, which has been wielded as leverage against Ukraine by the Trump administration on several occasions.

"I think what we need is evidence that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin actually wants peace, and at the moment, I'm still not seeing that," U.K. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper told Politico.

An unidentified drone crashed into a residential high-rise in the Russian city of Ryazan overnight on Jan. 16, as Russia reported a wave of drone attacks across multiple regions.

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado presented U.S. President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a White House meeting on Jan. 16.

In an unexpected move, President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with several popular public figures in recent days, with the latest being Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi. "I thanked (Zaluzhnyi) for his work as part of Ukraine's team," the president said on Jan. 15. "We discussed the diplomatic tasks that are relevant now and could strengthen all of us — Ukraine, our resilience." A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent that Zaluz

Poland has approved the transfer of nine MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said Jan. 15 in an interview with Polish media.

This is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,422 of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: A large group of Russian soldiers crossing snowy ground north of Kharkiv was obliterated by drones, artillery and infantry, Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade said on Jan. 15, killing around 70 of them. The Khartiia Brigade repelled an attempted assault by the Russian Federation and "destroyed" about 70 Russian occupiers," the unit said in a post on YouTube. "For a week, Russian occupat

Strong opposition and constant brawls have made Ukraine's parliament a staple of the country's thriving democracy. Since the start of the all-out war, however, the parliament has seen its independence, powers, and popularity erode. Criminal proceedings against lawmakers became routine. Nearly 70 lawmakers have been charged since the last election, according to Oleksandr Salizhenko, editor-in-chief of the political watchdog Chesno. The latest charges have been handed to political veteran Yulia T

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that "this statement is a disgrace," adding that "false moral equivalence between an aggressor and a country defending itself is unacceptable."

Ukraine's wartime banking sector will get a new player after an obscure fintech's bid to enter the country's market was finalized on Jan. 15. Iute Group, headquartered in Estonia, signed the final stage of acquiring a Ukrainian banking license during an upbeat press conference held in Kyiv on Jan. 15. It's reportedly the first foreign bank to enter Ukraine since 2021. "Since 2008, it's pretty much been only one direction — foreign banks leaving the country," Mykhaylo Demkiv, financial analyst

A meeting between U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic officials on Jan. 14 failed to defuse tensions.

At the cemetery historically known as the Field of Mars, a sea of flags snap and ripple in the wind, and names appear faster than the city can make space for them. Photographer Anastasiia Smolienko, who returns here several times a month, says, “This is a place where you immediately see the price of this war, of Ukraine’s resistance.” Despite the heavy weight of the loss it represents, the cemetery is also a measure of dignity for many of Lviv’s local residents. Smolienko describes how farewel

During her visit, Georgieva was expected to review Ukraine’s progress in passing the 2026 budget, as well as discuss measures to further prevent tax evasion and boost revenue by broadening the tax base.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 14 declared a state of emergency in the energy sector.

Oleksandr Borniakov assumed the new position after Mykhailo Fedorov, who had led the Digital Transformation Ministry since 2019, was appointed defense minister on Jan. 14.

Pechersk is a leafy, affluent neighborhood in central Kyiv. Its prerevolutionary buildings are tucked away from the main roads, surrounded by quiet courtyards and trees. In peacetime, it's where many Ukrainians dreamed of living. Now, in the fourth winter of the war, it's 3 degrees celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit) inside some apartments without additional heating, and the temperature continues to drop. Thick brick walls once insulated the well-off residents from the city's noise — now they make